Friday, April 26

Each time I go out of town and leave my dog in the capable hands of friends or a boarding facility, I hope everything goes well, my dog listens, behaves and is generally a good boy. Never do I think, I hope my dog gets fed, I hope he is not locked in a car or dies! Nor could I imagine leaving my dog in the hands of a person that has that little of knowledge about how to care for a dog. All the more reason the story below is simply shocking. For anyone this day in age to think it is okay to leave a dog in a hot car for any length of time is hard to believe. But it is truly mind blowing to think that someone left a dog locked in a car for 6 days! Dogster brings us the full story below.

We don't know this bonehead's name yet, because he hasn't
been charged with a crime. Police would like to charge him, though. They
just need some evidence that the dog the bonehead locked in a car for
six days had actually been locked in a car for six days -- or five days,
four days, or even three days. When it comes to dog health, any days are too many to be locked in a car.

What they have now, however, is just testimony from a
security guard, who said that the car had remained in the same spot in a
parking lot for six days. Security guards don't know whether the dog
was in there the whole time, but they believe the worst. When the guards
finally noticed the dog, they noticed his ribs. He was a dog in peril,
shaking and scared, huddled in the car, with no food or water.

"The dog appeared frightened and was shaken and appeared to be in distress," Seattle police spokeswoman Renee Witt told KOMONews.com.

Authorities got Zipper out and fed him, then they called Seattle Animal Shelter, who picked up Zipper and cared for him.

Don Baxter, manager of the shelter's animal care and volunteer programs, said Zipper could have died of heatstroke.

"Even on a relatively cool day it can get deadly in there for them," he said.

Right now, police are trying to figure out how long exactly the dog was in the car.

"That's a big concern for us," said Witt. "That would actually be animal neglect."

Without that charge, Zipper is scheduled to released back to his caretaker -- the very man who left him in a car for six days.

Baxter isn't happy about it, but there's little he can do.

"We're going to have a conversation with this individual,"
he said, "try to educate them about the proper care for the dog and let
them know that it's not acceptable to leave a dog inside a car on a
warm day like today."

So, what's this guy doing owning a dog? He doesn't,
really. He's just the boyfriend of the person who really owns Zipper,
and he's dog-sitting while the owner is on vacation.

Who knows? Maybe he really doesn't know a single thing about caring for dogs. We already know he's an idiot.

Wednesday, April 24

Spring is in full swing, the weather is beautiful and the evenings are cool & enjoyable. It's the perfect setting for you and your dog to get out for a stroll & a sniff through Downtown,
learn something new and have a patio for us all to relax on after!

The
evening will start with me, Certified Trainer, Tamara Clark, leading
your pooches through the bustling streets of the Historical Core to the entrance of the South Park district. We will stop in at Pussy & Pooch for some Pawbar time
for your dogs and then through the city we will go for our educational
romp. As usual, the evening will conclude with a chance for the humans
to sit down, unwind and enjoy wonderful conversation at the dog
friendly, Big Wangs. So fun!

Besides
the obvious fun you will have, this is a great chance to learn
about how to handle your dog downtown and in general with other dogs
and humans. The Cruisin the Concrete Pooch Parade workshop's focus will
be on you dogs socialization with congested city sidewalks (including dog on dog interactions), leash
control, and focusing on you while dealing with distractions. As well,
we will have our usual education on the approved potty places and how
to get your dog to go there. The
benefit of working your dog in this environment is it helps reinforce
their basic obedience and uses those skills to increase their focus on
you - not all the distractions. We'll also work on manners specific
to the city, such as sitting at all intersections before crossing;
sitting for introductions and the proper way to greet other dogs.

We
teach uptown manners for Downtown dogs! This class is so fun, it's
more like an outing... So let's take a stroll through the city and
focus on doggy's ability to deal with the public, the lively city
and all the other pooches out and about.

I
am so excited about this Pooch Parade, I hope I will see you all
there and if you can't be there, I hope you will help spread the word!

Be sure to RSVP by May 14th because space is limited. The cost is $40/dog.

Friday, April 19

Petside released a list of tips for all pet owners to help prepare your loved 4-legged friends for the warmer weather ahead. I hope you find this to be helpful in preparing your pet.

1. See a Vet

Schedule
an appointment to see your pet’s veterinarian. Bi-annual exams are the
best way to ensure that any potentially life-threatening condition is
detected early. At this time of the year, have your pet’s doc give him a
blood test for heartworm, in order to prescribe a preventive program.

2. Groom Your Pet

What a great time for a makeover! Have a groomer revitalize your pet’s fur and trim those winter-ravaged ends.

3. Flea and Tick Protection

When
you choose a flea treatment, recognize the importance of killing not
just adult fleas but also the eggs or larvae. The Advocacy for Pets and
Affordable Wellness (APAW), a
national coalition of pet owners and advocates dedicated to promoting
the health and well-being of America’s pets, encourage pet owners to
save money by searching out quality and vet-grade flea and tick products
at superstores like Costco and Walmart as well as shopping at their
local pharmacy, too!

4. Pet Proof Your Yard

In
the spring, garden chores the likes of cleaning up from winter;
preparing soil for planting; buying flowers, plants and trees;
safeguarding property from insects; mulching; securing yard fencing;
preparing the pool and caring for gardening and other tools can be
dangerous for your pet. Before working in the yard, consider your pet’s
safety as well as other animals that could wander onto your property.

5. Safe Spring Cleaning

Although
spring cleaning may mean a deep cleaning of your home, use non-toxic
products so that you can create a healthy and environmentally friendly
atmosphere for the two and four-legged members of your family.

6. Cope with Pet Allergies

Like
humans, pets suffer from seasonal allergies, too. Symptoms include:
watery eyes, runny noses, sneezing, and itchy skin. Pet allergists
recommend walking pets early in the morning and late at night when the
pollen count is down as well as wiping off pets before they come in the
house to avoid spreading allergens throughout your home, making their
conditions worse. Treatment for pet allergies is similar to treatment
for humans. Allergy testing, shots, antihistamines, air-filters and
humidifiers are available but speak to your vet to determine the best
health strategy for your dog or cat.

7. Get Your Pet Active

After
a sedentary winter, your dog may have packed on the pounds. Feed your
animal the recommended serving sizes of pet food and limit treats and
other snacks. With warm weather here, you can also use the opportunity
to get your pet exercising at least 30-60 minutes a day.

8. Cope with Pet Shedding

In
the spring, all dogs and cats (except hairless breeds like a Sphinx or
an American Hairless Terrier) lose their winter coats and begin to shed.
Unfortunately, shedding hair is one of the biggest annoyances to pet
owners. Regular bathing, grooming and supplementing their diets with
Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids will keep their coats healthy and shiny.

9. Update Your Pet's Gear

With
the change of season, it is always a good time to replace worn and
frayed leashes, harnesses and collars. Also, update ID tags and
microchip database date to keep your pet safe should he get lost.

I hope these tips help you prepare your pet for the warmer weather and allow you to have a safe and fun summer!

Thursday, April 18

In the face of almost every tragedy, there is relief from dogs that I truly admire, Therapy dogs. No words will make anyone in Boston feel any better, but the love, reassuring licks and hugs from these hero dogs certainly will make the pain more bearable. Below is the story of the Comfort Dogs that helped in Boston from Dogster.

Earlier this year, the K-9 Parish Comfort Dogs made headlines when they traveled to Newtown, Conn., to provide comfort to the people affected by the December school shooting.

Today, the dogs have arrived at another sad destination --
Boston. But as they did in Newtown, the therapy dogs are helping those
who need it most.

"The dogs are here to bring comfort, release and mercy to
people who are going through a confusing time in their lives," Tim
Hetzner, president of Lutheran Church Charities, which runs the dog
program, told the New York Daily News.

Three dogs came from the group's headquarters at Lutheran
Church Charities in Chicago; two more came from Newtown, where they have
been since the massacre.

(At the airport.)

(Maggie and Addie made the trip from Newtown.)

(The dogs appeared on the Today show on Tuesday.)

The dogs -- Ruthie, Luther, Isaiah, Maggie, and Addie --
are meeting people on the streets around the marathon site, as well as
visiting all the Boston hospitals that are treating victims. The comfort
dogs plan to stay until Sunday making rounds, but they'll stay as long
as they're needed.

(Isaiah with a news cameraman, doing what he does best.)

"When patients see the dogs, they light up and smile. It
gives them a chance to release," said Hetzner. "In many cases they talk
to the dogs like they are counselors, big furry counselors."

Friday, April 12

Quite a while ago there was talk of creating a TV station just for dogs, well it is here. DOGTV has partnered with Direct TV, so those of you with Direct TV can tune into a station just for dogs. Dogster has all the details and a couple of clips below. They also included their list of possible programming that I found to be quite amusing.

DOGTV
is a television network for dogs. No joke. TV for dogs. All day, all
night. Your dog camped out on the couch, watching TV, bag of chips on
his belly

And with the announcement this week that DOGTV has
partnered with DirecTV, more than 20 million customers now have access
to it.

Why would you ever use this? Well, people work. Dogs
don't. So, you flip on DOGTV before you leave for work, and your dog has
eight hours of content so he can veg out on the couch.

What kind of programming does it offer? Well, according to
the press release, "DOGTV producers spent hundreds of hours to create
content that caters to a dog’s well-being and unique sense of sight,
hearing, and movement detection. Everything from the visuals –- the
scenery, scenarios, color palettes, and camera angles –- to the audio
soundtracks were selected with a dog’s experience in mind."

Here's some YouTube clips of that programming:

But with the nationwide rollout, DOGTV better get hip to
the tastes of today's discerning hound, and there's no better place to
start than human-centric TV. Here's our ideas for new shows:

Game of Bones

How I Met Your Meatball

Survivor: Dog Park

Breaking Basenji

Mad Manchester Terriers

The Walking Dead (Cats!)

True Blood Sausage

America's Next Top Meatball

The Vampire Dalmatians

Dancing With the Sausages

M*E*A*T

Poodles of Anarchy

The Good Whippet

Sex and the Chilean Fox Terrier

The Bold and the Beagle

Hell's Kitchen Scraps

Gilmore Greyhounds

Parks and Recreation and Eating and Sleeping

Live with Kelly and Michael and Puddles

Kourtney and Kim Make Max Meatballs

Saturday Night Labradors

How to Live With Your Poodles (For the Rest of Your Life)

Boardwalk Empanadas

Dawson's Cream Pie

Two Broke Basset Hounds

I like that they have different styles of programming. As I played these clips from my computer my dog had to come and investigate! He was really into the relaxing clip. For those of you with Direct TV, if you check this out, give us a bark and let us know what your dog thinks of it.

Friday, April 5

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times, I stand in aw of working dogs such as police, military and bomb detection dogs. The story below is 100% why. As I read the story in Dogster this morning, the two things that stood out to me that made my eyes tear up and my heart smile all at the same time, were the pure drive and determination that was shown by the dog and the partnership, trust and pure love that is very clear between dog and his partner officer Steven Bechtold.

During an arrest in San Bernardino County on Easter Sunday, Jared, a Belgian Malinois
police dog, was thrown out of a second-story window by a parolee. Bryan
Bills, 28, refused to surrender to officers, and when they sent Jared
in, police believe that Bills used the dog's momentum to throw him out
of the window.

“The dog went to bite him -- jumped to bite him. He
side-stepped and pushed him out (the window),” officer Steven Bechtold,
Jaris’ partner, told CBSLA.com. “I saw him go out the window, and I didn’t know what was going on from there. I just feared the worst.”

(The house that Jared was thrown from.)

"I saw him for about six or seven feet as he went out and lost sight of him," Bechtold continued to KABC.
"My first thought was, 'What happened to my dog? What happened to my
partner? But yet I've got an officer here, we still have to deal with
the suspect.'"

Jared landed on his head, then staggered around, bleeding
from the nose. He suffered a large gash on his head. Officers rushed him
into a cruiser and took the five-year veteran of the Fontana Police
Department to the animal hospital.

"I thought he was dead," Bechtold said. "I thought he would be dead or paralyzed."

(Photo courtesy of the Fontana Police Department.)

At first, veterinarians feared the worst, testing Jared
for brain damage. Fortunately, that threat seems to have passed. They
told Bechtold that nothing was broken and there was no internal
bleeding, and they sent Jared home with a bandage around his head and a
supply of painkillers.

This is a first," Lt. Gary Aulis, head of the department's K-9 program, told the Los Angeles Times. "Of the dogs injured in the line of duty, we've never had something even remotely like this happen."

Unfortunately, Jared was rushed back to the vet late Tuesday, according to CBSLA.com. He
has a tear in his sinuses, which allows air to leak in, causing pain.
It's expected to heal in a few days, but Jared is off-duty for 14 days.

"He's very sensitive. He's very emotional," Bechtold said.
"He's always high drive, ready to play, ready to go; he's pretty much
the same every day. What you see is what you get."

Bechtold is optimistic about his partner's recovery.

"I kind of didn't think we'd have him around when I saw
him go out the window, but he keeps getting better and better, so it's
been a tough week," Bechtold said. "But it's been a good week at the
same time."

Thursday, April 4

HELLO APRIL! This is my favorite month of the year, some of the happiest moments in my life happened in this month! I hope this year continues the trend and this month is good to us all. Below are a few things that are happening Downtown and some of the new places that have opened up I am excited to try.

Do you like exercising with your dog? If so, join the first Heart of the City 5K Race Downtown on April 14th! It is dog friendly (remember, you have to train them just like you do yourself to run distances) and a great way to enjoy our amazing city views. Join today and help support the California Hospital Medical Center Foundation.